heaton



@latten tatrs @anni @fitta i TO ALL WHOM IT MAYl CONCERN:

JOHN C. HEATON, OF FITOHBUBGH, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND NATHANIEL EARLE, OF HENRIETTA, MICHIGAN.

Letters Patent No. 74,532, dated February 18, 1868.

IMPROVED CAR-UOUPLING.

Be it known that I, JQIIN C. HEATON, of Fitchburgh, in the county of Ingham, and State of Michigan, have invented a new and improved Car-Coupling; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which the figure is a vertical longitudinal section of my improved car-coupling.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

My invention has for its object to furnish a simple, strong, and reliable car-coupling, which shall be selfcoupling, and shall have ne` springs to get out of order; and it consists in the combination of the pivoted arrowheaded coupling-bars, lifting-plates, and operating-levers with each other and with the bumper-heads, as hereinafter more fully described.

Arepres-ents the bumper-heads of two adjacent cars, which are attached to the cars in theerdinary manner. The cavity in the bumper-heads A is made deeper and larger than in the ordinary bumper-heads. B are the coupling-bars, the inner ends of the shanks of which are pivoted in the inner part of the cavity in the bumperheads A. The outer ends of the coupling-bars B, that project beyond the mouths of the bumperfheads, are made in the form of lattened arrow-heads, as shown inthe drawings. The coupling-bars B are held down by their own weight upon the bottom ofthe cavity in the bumper-heads, andas the cars come together, the inclined end of the coupling-'bar B, that happens to be the highest, slides up the inclined end ot' the other one, until the arrow-heads have passed each other, and the cars are coupled by the shoulders of said arrow-heads taking hold of each other, as shown in the figure. C are plates that rest upon the Shanks cf the eoupling-bars B, their forward ends being just in the rear of the shoulders of the arrow-headed ends of said hars. AThe rear ends of tne plates C are pivoted in vertical slots or grooves in the sides of the bumper-heads, as shown in the drawings, se that, whatever may be the position 'of the coupling-bars B, the plates O may lie upon the upper sides of their shanks, and so that, whichever bar may be above the other in coupling the cars, it may have a plate, C, beneath its arrow-head, as shown in the gure. D is a lever, the lower end efwhieh is rigidly attached to the rear end of the plate C, and the upper end of which extends up through a slot in the upper side of the bumper A, as shown in the drawing, so that'when the cars are coupled by operating the lever D, the upper coupling-bar may be raised Vfrom the lower one, uneoupling the cars. v The levers D may project vertically, as shown in the drawing, or they may be sem-ranged as to lie along the platform et' the cars, and thus be more out ot' the way. It'

l desired, the levers D may be furnished with catches or fastenings to hold them in either position.

I claimv as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The combination ofthe arrow-headed coupling-bar B, lifting-plate C, and operating-lever D with each other and with the bumper-head A, substa=,.tially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

JOHN e. Haaren.

Witnesses:

ELBEn'r D. HENDRICKS, A'. D. CoULso. 

